Pain + Pain = -Pain (?)

As I have previously discussed, back pain is a significant issue for me. So much so, that I spend significant time and money on therapies which, to this point have only been successful in moderating the pain, but not at a successful at eliminating it. This week I visited my massage pain specialist who normally does all sorts of horrible things to me.

He suggested that since the normal deep tissue massage is no longer effective he would like to try something a little bit different. He warned that it would leave marks and that it would hurt but that it could be very effective in eliminating pain.

I told him to go for it and he pulled out a tool that looked like it was made of either bone or horn. He scraped my upper back and neck with this tool in short, fast, hard strokes. It really hurt, but not in a bad way. It was a very odd feeling.

He had told me that the treatment would leave marks and that he wouldn't do it is I was planning on going swimming or on holidays to Mexico. I was prepared for there to be some visible marks but I was not prepared for how dramatic it was. The places he had scraped we blotchy, bright red and looked insanely painful. My therapist said that the places where it is the darkest is where I have the most damage.

I have no idea if this is all poppycock or if it is a legit therapy but I'll let you know in 3 days how I feel. I will say that the few people I showed it to today got looks of horror and disgust on their faces when they saw it. This picture is pretty crappy but it gives you an idea of what it looks like.

Have any one else ever had this done? Did it work?